British observers blamed parliamentarism, not Fascism, for Italy’s troubles
Evidence
Th e tone of British observations during the early days of the Fascist regime was not condemnation, but a nodding appreciation for the Fascist leader’s good sense. Graham, for example, said that for Italy, “the chief failure lay in ‘parliamentarianism’” (FO 371/7660, fol. 198). With its factious dynamics, parliamentarism— or democracy— only increased ungovernability at a moment when grave economic necessity and revolutionary threat called for something stronger. — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order, 1370
Categorization
- XREF: Connects to the theme that elites justify curtailing democracy during economic crisis — resonates with austerity-as-class-weapon framing relevant throughout the book. — connects to: British diplomats saw Italian Fascism as authority reasserting itself against liberty — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economists…, 1369; British diplomats rationalized Fascist electoral violence as typical Italian behavior — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economists…, 1726; British diplomats justified Italian repression as a fair liberty-for-order tradeoff — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economists…, 1723 (+1 more)
Broader Connections
- British diplomats rationalized Fascist electoral violence as typical Italian behavior
#expands(0.82) — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order, 1726 - British diplomats justified Italian repression as a fair liberty-for-order tradeoff
#expands(0.78) — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order, 1723 - Political institutional differences, not economics, explain why Britain’s party system survived.
#complicates(0.72) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 636